You oughta know #36
Hard times for Wellington; Decaf is taking out the comps; Gaza, Yemen - why the coffee industry is silent; Flight Coffee drops a new can.
Welcome back to You oughta know - your favourite mostly regular update on all the things happening in coffee, from New Zealand and across the globe.
The morning’s are getting a bit cooler, so the old Mokapot has been pulled out of the cupboard, dusted off and is back in the regular rotation. I just love the warm embrace of a well made Mokapot. A great way to ease into wintery weekends.
In this issue: Hard times for Wellington; Decaf is taking out the comps; Gaza, Yemen - why the coffee industry is silent; Flight Coffee drops a new can.
RNZ: Welly hospo sector braces for a triple whammy
When it rains it pours for Wellington, and the hospitality sector isn’t immune.
The much publicized cuts to the public service are not only having a direct impact on people’s livelihoods and welfare, but also the sectors they used to spend their money in.
Wellington’s cafe scene is already having a tough time, and less people and less money going around will only compound things.
Much aroha to the hospo sector, and the public servants, who are navigating uncertain times.
Perfect Daily Grind: Specialty coffee is changing it’s opinion on decaf
From the ‘about time’ desk, specialty coffee is changing it’s opinion on decaf.
As reported by Perfect Daily Grind, the 2024 US Brewers Cup was won by a competitor using a decaffeinated Colombian.
PDG notes “Considering we usually see more high-end and ultra-premium lots win coffee competitions, this is big news.”
The article goes on to say:
For many years now, there has been a sentiment – particularly in specialty coffee – that decaf coffee is “less than”. But with a decaf Typica winning the US Brewers Cup, it’s fair to assume that opinions might be shifting.
“I selected this coffee because it’s really delicious. The first time I brewed this coffee, I couldn’t tell it was decaf,” Weihong says. “In a way, I think it shows just how much decaffeination methods have advanced in recent years.”
We’re big fans of decaf at TMR Towers, long considering this much maligned corner of the coffee world as the ‘ultimate coffee experience’.
Great to see quality decaf taking the Dubs on the world stage.
Fresh Cup: Coffee at Sea
Fionn Pooler, editor at coffee newsletter The Pourover, has gone deep on the coffee industry’s tricky relationship with geopolitics, war and the impact on global trade. He notes that:
Aside from some individual instances of solidarity and calls for a ceasefire, the coffee industry as a whole has been almost silent about the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Coffee is a globally traded commodity and thus intertwined with geopolitics in a way that the industry seems to understand at some points—but ignores at others.
Fionn looks at the coffee industry’s response, or lack of response, to the war in Gaza and attacks in Yemen, and ponders whether that is good enough.
This is a good read.
Flight Coffee does an April Fools; people actually love it…
April Fools - that time of year where fun and frivolity reigns, and we can, for a moment at least, forget about the seriousness about the world.
Flight Coffee took up the challenge, introducing a Peanut Butter Mocha to their iced coffee range. April Fools ya’ll!
Problem is, the comments blew up, and people loved the idea.
Was this a ruse? Was this actually a cheeky bit of market research under the guise of a joke? Not sure - but I wouldn’t be surprised if this turns up on our shelves soon.
I’ll be buying it.
Coming up on The Magic Roast
Bean of the Month - Sister Coffee - this Thursday!
Coffee for the 9 to 5
If it’s not Fair Trade(TM), is it fairly traded?
A review of the Orea V3 brewer.
Re:up: The most important coffee tool to have is…
Running is hard